We kept walking until Gary rapped on a door. Then we stopped, listening as an irritated voice from inside answered.

"What do you want? Just leave me alone."

Kassidy answered in her same, chirpy voice. "Just open the door. We have some people we'd like you to come see."

"We. Who the heck is we?"

"We would be two Souls, a Faceless One, and an Angel."

"An Angel. You honestly expect me to believe you have an Angel there. Go bother someone else, why don't you?"

Kassidy turned to Gary. Gary pounded on the door again. I got the sinking feeling that the woman inside didn't really have an option. Just like we didn't really.

"Give me one good reason why I should open that door."

Lincoln looked like he was trying to figure something out. He looked like he recognized the voice. He looked like he even knew who it was but didn't think he was right. I leaned on him. Whatever it was, it was going to be designed to at least get in his head.

Kassidy looked mad. "You should open the door because I don't think you want us to do it for you."

"Oh, how threatening," the resident replied, and I heard springs creak. Whoever was inside had just camped out on the bed.

"Fine," Kassidy spat, "just open the door."

"How about," the voice sounded as though it was considering, "no. Absolutely not."

"Lady," Kassidy was almost shouting now, "come out. If you need a reason, it's your son here."

Lincoln went stiff. Of course, he'd recognized his mother's voice. Everything made sense. He'd told me she'd died when he was little. He hadn't said how or why. He had lived with his uncle ever since I'd known him. I could hear the woman stand.

"You people expect me to believe a word you say. You're more naive than I thought."

Kassidy was beyond exasperated. "If you really don't believe us, just let us in."

"Fat chance."

Lincoln looked dazed. "Mom," he whispered.

I turned to Gary. "What is wrong with you? Haven't you hurt us enough? Stop. For the love of everything, just stop."

He didn't respond. "What the frick is wrong with you," I yelled at him. I knew it was stupid, but I needed to get it out. I needed to feel like I was doing something.

"Sky," Lincoln called to me.

I ignored him. I was still focused on Gary. "This is all so messed up. And it's all your fault."

"Sky!"

I faced Lincoln again. His face took all the anger out of me.

"Yes," I whispered.

He didn't have time to respond. The woman inside did that for him.

"Is my son really out there?"

"Yeah," Kassidy answered, sounding ticked off.

"Let me just get dressed," she said, the resistance going out of her voice. I heard a shower turn on. A long time passed, and Lincoln and I reveled in it. Kassidy seemed like if this was traffic, she would be a tailgater with the way she fidgeted.

The door finally opened, revealing a woman dressed in formal clothes. She wore a sunhat draped carefully over the side of her head. Like she was hiding something. She stood there, taking us all in, then rushing out, and hugging Lincoln. He let go of my hand and wrapped his arms around her.

"Mom," he said again.

Gary stepped in and his voice echoed in my head again. Aren't you going to invite us in?

I glared at him, forgetting how much he scared me for a moment. Lincoln and his mother both turned to look at him.

"No. I will not invite you in."

Gary didn't acknowledge her "no," walking easily through the doorway. Kassidy followed him, not seeming to have any qualms. I stayed where I was. Lincoln's mother didn't even glance at me as she turned to yell into the room.

"Get out. Leave me alone. You have so far."

Neither of them said anything. She huffed, turning her attention back to Lincoln.

"You grew up," she murmured.

He chuckled. "I did."

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to give them privacy, but I didn't want to enter the room uninvited or join Kassidy and Gary. I didn't want Lincoln to be too far away, but I didn't need to be hearing the conversation.

Just as I was considering what to do with myself, Lincoln's mother noticed me.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

Something about the way she said it made me feel like I was in trouble. I didn't say anything, and Lincoln jumped in to save me.

"Mom," he smiled, "this is Sky, my girlfriend."

She looked between us. "You have a girlfriend? When did that happen?"

"A few years ago," he shrugged it off.

"My baby boy has a girlfriend."

I wasn't sure what to do. I'd always been awkward about that. At least his uncle hadn't cared I existed. This was different. And so much more awkward. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"It's nice to meet you," I stammered out.

She looked at me. "It's nice to meet you too."

I didn't feel like it was entirely sincere, but hey, I had to take what I could get. She peered back at Gary and Kassidy again.

"Who are they?" she asked.

"The girl is Kassidy," I answered, "And the other one, I call Gary. I don't think he likes it, but I think it's better than 'it.'"

She looked at me. "You named an immortal being Gary. You named him Gary as in one of the dullest names ever."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yes."

She turned to Lincoln. "I like this girl. She's a keeper."

He chuckled and wrapped his arm around me. "You don't need to tell me twice."

"So, I'm guessing Kassidy was the one that was yelling through the door."

"Yeah," Lincoln answered.

"So, if she was right about you being here, which we will discuss by the way, which one of you is an angel?"

He tipped his head towards me. "Sky."

She took a deep breath. She didn't look happy about that. She'd probably been hoping it had been her son, but she forced a smile on her face.

"So," she said, still faking a smile, "how did she end up here?"

"I don't think that's relevant," I said before Lincoln could answer. I didn't know how she would take it if I genuinely told her I chose hell over being separated from her son. I wanted to keep this as unawkward as possible.

She looked at me. She understood. Oh crap. I held my breath, breathing again when she changed the subject.

"So," she started, "I guess I should say, why on Earth are you in hell, Lincoln?"

His smile faltered. "It's a funny story really," he explained. "I just kind of, maybe, I don't know. I just thought that things weren't fair the way they were and that the rules were BS. So, I broke them."

She stared at him, and I got the feeling that the guilt had finally caught up to him. "I'm sorry," he told her.

"You don't need to apologize to me. You didn't do anything to hurt me. You're the one who must live with the consequences, not me. Lincoln, you know I'll support you no matter what. I just wish you weren't here."

He nodded. He pulled me even closer into his side.

"So, are you coming in?" Kassidy called.

His mother hesitantly let us pass her to go in. She closed the door behind her, and the situation seemed to get much worse while I was in the same room as Gary.

"So," the woman started, "I heard your name is Gary. I think that's quite fitting."

Gary approached her, and she kept her wry smile. Lincoln tensed. Gary turned to us.

Relax, Soul. Remember our deal?

Lincoln forced himself to comply, and his mother looked at us.

"What deal?"

"Nothing."

Soul, tell her.

"He said that if I do whatever he wants, he won't hurt her. Mom, I can't watch him hurt Sky again. I can't."

I leaned into him. He was really doing it. He was honestly fulfilling his part of the deal. I expected nothing less from him, but it was still startling to me how he listened and did it. This was going to take some getting used to.

"He's hurt you before?" She asked me.

"I'm fine," I stated, not answering her question. His mother looked at me. She understood me too much. Was I that much of an open book?

"How bad?"

"What?"

"How bad did he hurt you?"

This was all too much. I didn't know how to answer that.

"Sky," she repeated, "how bad did Gary hurt you?"

Lincoln looked at her. "Bad enough."